Penfolds and the Foundations of Australian Fine Wine
Penfolds was founded in South Australia in 1844 by Dr Christopher and Mary Penfold, beginning with vines planted at Magill Estate on the outskirts of Adelaide. Over more than 180 years, the winery has played a defining role in the development of Australian wine, building a portfolio that spans some of the country’s most recognised regions, varieties and individual wines.
A defining feature of Penfolds is its long-established house style. Rather than relying exclusively on a single vineyard or region, many of its most important wines are assembled from selected vineyards across multiple regions, allowing the winemaking team to maintain a consistent stylistic vision while drawing on the strengths of each vintage.
Grange and the Penfolds House Style
Penfolds Grange is the winery’s flagship wine and one of the most celebrated expressions of Australian Shiraz. Created by Max Schubert in 1951 after his experiences in Europe, Grange introduced an ambitious approach to Australian red wine built around intensely flavoured Shiraz, structured tannins, maturation in American oak and the ability to develop over decades.
Unlike many of the world’s most famous wines, Grange is not defined by a single vineyard. Fruit can be selected from different vineyards and regions according to the vintage, making the finished wine an expression of the Penfolds house style rather than one specific site.
Today, Grange remains the pinnacle of the Penfolds portfolio, with current releases joined by back vintages, gift-boxed editions and collector sets.
St Henri, Bin 389 and the Penfolds Bin Wines
The Penfolds Bin collection contains some of the most recognisable names in Australian wine. Each offers a different interpretation of variety, region and maturation while retaining the structure and longevity associated with Penfolds.
St Henri Shiraz provides an important contrast to Grange. Rather than relying on prominent new oak, St Henri is traditionally matured in large, seasoned vats, allowing Shiraz fruit and savoury complexity to take a more prominent role.
Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz combines two varieties with a particularly strong Australian history. Often referred to as “Baby Grange”, it is partly matured in barrels previously used for Grange and brings together the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon with the richness of Shiraz.
The wider Bin range includes Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon, RWT Bin 798 Barossa Valley Shiraz, Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz, Bin 28 Shiraz, Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz, Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon and other regional and varietal expressions.
Yattarna and Penfolds Chardonnay
Yattarna sits at the top of the Penfolds white wine portfolio, drawing on selected cool-climate Chardonnay vineyards to create a finely structured style with citrus, white stone fruit, restrained oak and bright natural acidity. With bottle age, the wine develops greater savoury complexity while retaining the tension and length that define its place among Penfolds’ flagship releases.
Collector Releases, Back Vintages and Fortified Wines
The breadth of the Penfolds collection makes it particularly significant for collectors. Alongside current releases, Kent Street Cellars carries selected back vintages of Grange, St Henri and Yattarna, as well as wooden cases, gift-boxed editions, vertical selections and multi-vintage collector sets.
The range also extends into Penfolds’ historic fortified wine tradition through releases such as Grandfather 20 Year Old Rare Tawny and Great Grandfather 30 Year Old Rare Tawny.
From established Bin wines through to mature Grange and limited collector releases, the Penfolds portfolio offers an unusually broad perspective on Australian wine history and the evolution of the Penfolds style.
